Singer has been teasing his involvement for a while now, but the news was made official by Deadline this afternoon. Here’s what the director had to say in his official statement to the site:

I’m incredibly excited to be working with my friends at Fox, with whom I’ve had such a long and fruitful relationship,” Singer said in a statement to Deadline. “Ever since I was a boy and first discovered the 1870 Jules Verne novel, I have dreamt of retelling this classic story. Without revealing too much, it contains not only the original characters of Captain Nemo, Ned Land and Professor Aronnax, but also some new and original characters and Sci-Fi plot twists culminating in a timeless adventure for all ages.

That sci-fi twist may rub some fans the wrong way, but then again, the original novel wasn’t exactly what you’d call grounded in reality. As of now, we’re certainly optimistic about Singer’s take, and are eager to see what he can bring to Vernes’s classic story.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is expected to shoot in the Fall, but no release date has been set as of yet. As always, we’ll keep you posted when we hear more.